Spectacle case



Nov. 3, 1931. w. E. CHRISTMAN SPEGTACLE CASE F'il ed May 7, 1950 Inventor (dz'lha m 67L rislfman. fly M 4% orne s Patented Nov. 3', 193 1 PATENT oFnc WILLIAM E. CHRISTMAN, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO KELLEY AND H'UEBER,--OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, -A

-J. MAURICE KELLEY AND JOSEZE'H U. HUEBER COPARTNERSHIP COMPOSED SPECTACLE' CASE Application filed. ma zieaoserial No. 450,333.

My invention is particularly directed to providing novel means for stiffeningandre infor cing aflexible'case adapted toreceive and contain spectacles and the like.

Flexible cases heretofore employed for such purposes, and usually comprising one or more pieces of leather orlike material and an integral flap adapted to be folded over to'close the case, havebee'n' provided with stiffening means of various forms, ineach of which, however, may bejfound' disadvantages not arising in'the present invention.

'jThus, forstiffening such cases, a strip of I metal bent roughly to U-shape has been 'uti-p lizedfand provided intermediate its arms with r a reinforcing block of wood or the like either secured to the strip by nails, rivets, gluing or other convenient'means, or disposed within a recess'formed by the-metal strip'and held in place therein under compression ofthe metal strip and by the sides ofthe cas'e; thisblock form's'asupport-for 'one member of the snap or'glove fastener used for closing thecase.

' These and other *gen'erally similar means of reinforcingandstifi'ening a spectacle case have certain disadvantages, such as the plu rality of stepsrequire'd for their manufac= t-ure which'makes' the cost" thereof unduly and cheaply manufactured in large quantimade entirely of metal and adapted to be;

high, and also because-the reinforcing block to which reference has been made soon becomes broken or loosened fromxits proper po-' sition andthus not fully effective to' perform its intended functions. i 1

Among the purposes and-objects of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a novel reinforcingqandstiffening means for the purposes aforesaid which may be easily ties; which is fully effective throughout-long life for the performance of. its intended func f tions, and which is of 'strong'and durable con-- struction and thus substantially indestructible even under abnormallysevere conditions "A further object or the invention is to provide a spectacle case'of'the class described having stifi'eni'ng and reinforcing""'means readily'inserted within th'e case and as readily' rem'ovedtherefrom when desired, and

. Other objects, purposes and advantages of 'which affords adequate support for the cooperating members of the snap or glovefastener usually employed for fastening the case and negatives any danger of breakage to the spectacles or other fragile article contained within the case when the'case is being fastened as well asat other times.

- A further object of my'invention is to pro vide a reinforcingmeans as aforesaid which is operative. tosupport the bridge or nose piece of a pair of spectacles when thelatter are disposed in the case, and is cooperative; with integral stiffening means to maintain-desired stiffness and rigidity of the case.

my invention will 'be'hereinafter more particularlym'entioned or apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

In the said drawings, Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a spectacle case of the class in which my invention may be employed showing the fiap'in closed position; Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 22 in Fig. 3 of a spectacle case like that shown in'Fig. 1 and embodying a preferred form of the reinforcing and stiffening means of my inventiomthe flap of the case being-open; Fig. 3'is a topplan view of the case shown in Fig. 2, andFig. 4 is a side elevation of my stiffening and reinforcing means as shown in Fi 2 and 3 removed from the case. In the several figures like characters are employed to designate like parts, and the sectional view referredto is taken" in the direction of the arrows as indi cat'ed. i

'Referring'now more particularlyto the drawings, the spectacle case 1, which'may be l 90 1nerriber,7-of the'fastener is snapped over '7 It will be understood that I have herein 7 shown and described a spectacle case of this foigm for purposes of example only, and that 'my' improved reinforcing and stifiening the strip being substantially equal Lt o'the transverse width ofthespace included be.- tween the parts 2 and 3 of'the' case. This 7 strip is preferablybent asshown inFig l to provide Iside arms 1 1 ,flb asef12 and rein.- forcingiconvolutions lii which t us form. a

means ashereinafter described maybe emp y d wi h qe a ya h aha typ s 'ofcases v' V Thestiffening and reinforcing means of" I 16 my'jinVentiOn adapted to beyernploye'dfiin a casegofathe form. toqwhich SI havelreferred' comprises a single, integral strip ofi's'p'ringi' steel or "other suitable metal, the width of plurality of adjacent; bights orloops interlie within and parallel to the side edges theref while the base lies alongjthe bottom of the case, thusplacingthe strip under compres sion at the corners andalso-atthe center re-.

" nfeiq meli t e 60.19 f w ehi e l omp esse l mew at; as'clea ly shown n ig:

I j; 2,:"wliereby the sideijarrnsare held tightly; againstthe inner edges of the case and exert isi fllicient' st-ressthereagainst to maintain "the 3 ll:l' g d' str whfldi conditi n while; th e e 9f hestltip ma nta e s dewalls, of

' the case in suitablyspaced transverse relationasshow iin Fig.-:;3. "The convolutions jof' the reinforcement 13 are thus positioned 3 betweenthe walls of the case substantially" beneath; the flap fastener andserve to resist the thrust onthe front wall of the case" and prevent it from collapsing when the female 1' he f a e mem 16, While/the m er; acesaof l l the reinforcement are adapted to receivef'the.

' bridge; or nose-piece of the spectacles;-and

' iAs,beiiore p'ointedout, thereinforcing and annfae u and, bemsfiormed en irelyom.

yhol d,;,the latter in their proper position in e as: when he fl p ebse th c se'i therefore prevented from collapse from front I to back atalltimes'by tlljoperation oftlie i i f 'iji js.-.iam 11119 m s while t e .7 "lattenalso'serves to properly hold the 'sp ec ta-- o clesorfl eyeglasses in place as well asto'c'onstantly maintain the case injproperly dis; r

de on tio stiifeningdevice ofmyinvention is cheap to male member, of the fastenerp a single integral strip of metal, devoid of attached parts which are liable'toiwork loose or break when the case in which the device is disposed is in use. The device, moreve i ex m y n a y and may b r ilyf;removedjromfthe case for sterilizing or Y cleaning when desired and as readily replaced It will 'be'understood-thatthe particular design of the reinfor'cing' and s'ti'ifen-ing "means" comprised in inventioninay be ,varied from that shownand describedjhereg iIi'to'adapt it for emp oym in Spectacle .cases of different forjms,-and further that the particularconfiguration of rein'forcing loops or bights may also be varied asdesir'ed" i'r-i respective of-the'specific design of saidmeans as a whol Having thusdesc ibed myiinren p without departing,from'thefspirit :and scope. oftheappended claims; s

claim and de'sir'eto protectby Letters Patent 5 oftheUnited-statesr 5 L Th ,c mb n nl wit a pr ri d with a flap and 'cooperative fastening means a ed; y h s ndfiap respect y, Q

reinforcing '1 stiflening' strip "disposed I within the case and provided {with' aplu-r mlityfof oppositely d ng convolutions p d n Oper t e al m n wi h fsa fastening 7 means when the case is closed. i i 1 YQQThe combination with a case. comprising front and rear Walls securedtogetherf at the sides and bottom, a flap operative to; close over the front wall anda fastener comprising cooperative, male and female members resspectively carriedfby the case j and the flap, of an integral reinforcingand stiiieningele side farmsjoperative to lie adjacent the side edges of: the 1 case, a base' lying adjacent the bottom P t e send, a pl ml yr of c n volutions extending upwardly from the base adjacent its midpoint into the casegandop- .eratijve tof for'm 'a-supportfor a pairof-spectacles disposed Withinthe case and for the 3.: A rein'forcing'and stiffening element for a" spectacle case or the like comprising an integral strip of resilient material bent to form a pairof oppositely divergent side arms, base members extending oppositely-inwardly from the side armsana a plurality ofconvolutions integral with the base mernber s substantially equidistant from I the side arrns and-adapted for transverse. compression the element is dispq fed n thei 'as "inent disposed within thecaseand'comprising lQjA reinforcing an'd stifi'ening element for a spectacle case or'the, like comprisinga single "strip of. resilient metal bent toform a pair of side arms, basemembers extending oppositely inwardly from the side" arms and'a plurality of convolutions "disposed substantially. equi r distant frorn. the side arms and extending ne a y Hermetic he b e, t e d arms being oppesitely outwardly divergent from theadjacent base members and the latter extending in oppositeanglilar relation to each 1 other from the side, arms toward the convolutions. 7 I In witness whereof Ihave hereunto set my hand this 6th day of May, 1930.

. WILLIAM E. CHRISTMAN. 

